monday, february 27, 2017 mike mayock - …€¦ · · 2017-02-27john schneider did, ... i think...

NFL Network MediaConferenceMonday, February 27, 2017

Mike MayockTHE MODERATOR: Thank you for joining us today onNFL Network's 2017 NFL Scouting Combineconference call. Joining me on the call is NFLNetwork's lead analyst for the combine, Emmy-nominated analyst, Mike Mayock.

Before I open it up to questions for Mike, a few quickprogramming notes on the 2017 NFL ScoutingCombine on NFL Network and across the NFL's digitalproperties.

This is the 13th year NFL Network has covered thecombine. Beginning Wednesday, NFL Network,nfl.com, NFL Now, and NFL Mobile will broadcast livefrom Indianapolis. Live coverage of the 2017 NFLScouting Combine begins this Wednesday at noonEastern time with coverage of the combine pressconferences. Individual workouts begin Friday at 9:00Eastern with running backs and offensive linemen. OnSaturday, the quarterbacks, wide receivers, and tightends will work out, followed by the linebackers anddefensive linemen on Sunday, and finally the defensivebacks on Monday.

All individual workouts begin at 9:00 a.m. Eastern onNFL Network.

On NFL Media digital properties, fans can follow all theaction from the combine with NFL Now Live presentedby Old Spice, which airs Friday, March 3rd throughMonday, March 6th, streaming live on nfl.com, NFLNow, NFL Mobile, and yahoo.com beginning at 9:00a.m. Eastern each day. A live show features threeseparate sets providing comprehensive coverage andanalysis of the on-field drills.

NFL Network's live coverage of the 2017 NFL ScoutingCombine can also be accessed on smartphonesexclusively through NFL Mobile from Verizon, as wellas other digital platforms such as Watch NFL Networkon tablets, PCs, Xbox One and Xbox 360, and otherconnected TV devices.

Lastly, as he has done for the previous 12 years, thecombine will again conclude with Rich Eisen's annual40-yard dash in his trademark suit. Like last year, RunRich Run will benefit the NFL PLAY 60 relationship withSt. Jude Children's Hospital.

Fans can participate and show their support bysubmitting videos of themselves running the 40-yarddash with the hashtags Run Rich Run and St. Jude.

For more information, visit nfl.com/runrichrun.

MIKE MAYOCK: I'm going to give a brief openingstatement, if you don't mind.

THE MODERATOR: Sounds good, Mike. Thanks.

MIKE MAYOCK: Thank you, Alex, and thanks toeverybody for getting on the line, and, like usual, we'lltry to get through everybody's questions so you don'tget cut off at the end.

Two topics I've been kind of inundated the last coupleweeks, and I just thought I'd make a really quickoverview so it might help some of you guysimmediately. Number one, just the overall quarterbackplay in the NFL and how it relates to the draft. If youlook at some numbers, in the last ten years, there havebeen 26 first-round quarterbacks drafted.

Now, I'm going to discount the last two years justbecause it's not fair to grade those kids yet. Althoughlike most people, I'm kind of bullish on Winston,Mariota and Carson Wentz. But if you look at the lasteight years beyond that -- in other words, '07 through'014, there have been 21 first-round quarterbacks. Outof that group, there are either four or five franchisequarterbacks. There's Matt Ryan, Matt Stafford, CamNewton, Andrew Luck, and if you want to put JoeFlacco in there.

After that, there are nine first-round kids not even in theleague anymore. Then, as far as starting quarterbacksgo, you've got Bortles, Tannehill, Bradford, and Flacco.Again, depending on what category you want Flaccoin. Then there are four back-ups, or TeddyBridgewater, who has been hurt, EJ Manuel, RG3, andSanchez. So it gives you a pretty good feel for the hitrate of franchise quarterbacks in the first round.

Now, beyond the first round, there has been DerekCarr in the second, I'd throw Garoppolo in there as apotential quality starter in the second, Russell Wilson inthird, Kirk Cousins in the fourth, and Andy Dalton in thesecond. So five potential quality starters outside of the

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first round.

So, the numbers aren't real good. The four franchiseguys out of 21, five, if you include Flacco, you'relooking at about a 20% chance of drafting a franchisequarterback for the first-round pick. And my messageto NFL teams would be you've got to keep trying.You've got to keep swinging. Like Pete Carroll andJohn Schneider did, they signed Flynn to the big freeagent contract, and they still that same year went outand drafted Russell Wilson in the third. And by theway, they have been doing that for several years, kindof looking for a quarterback.

Secondly, the whole who should be invited to thecombine and who shouldn't with the poster boy of thatbeing Joe Mixon. Here's my feelings. The combinewas set up for this type of situation. As a matter of fact,it was set up as a medical clearinghouse for all playersback in the early '80s -- medical, psychological, off thefield. This is the ideal environment to deal with someof these character players and maybe, to take it a stepfurther, proactively, vet them.

What I'd like to see instead of not inviting them, I'd liketo proactively get after the situation, get in front of thesituation and sit these kids down at the combine, thesetroubled players, and give them a level of expectationsif they want to play in the NFL, what the infrastructure'sgoing to look like when they get there. Do they have topee in a cup? If so, how many times? Let's sit thesekids down and proactively get in front of it and try tomake them good citizens along with good footballplayers.

Finally, I think an unintended consequence to banningJoe Mixon is it gives this kid an advantage as far as allthe athletic drills are concerned. He's asleep in hisown bed while getting ready for his Pro Day instead ofbeing poked and prodded for four consecutive days.

So in addition to that, I think he and his agent cancontrol the message to the media. So I think it wasunintentional, and I really do believe the NFL wastrying to do the right thing. But I think if we really thinkit through, I think there are better ways to deal with it.

Having said those two things, guys, let's open it up forquestions.

Q. The Titans sitting there at 5 and 18 in the firstround. What is the best-case scenario for them inthe first round? And how does this draft match upwith their needs, probably wide receiver andsecondary being the biggest two?MIKE MAYOCK: Yeah, I think it sets up well for them.As a matter of fact, you could almost clean up thatsecondary at 5 and 18. I mean, there's a good chance

you could get one of those two quality safeties at No. 5,either Malik Hooker or Jamal Adams. Both of whomI'm bullish on. And you've got to kind of figure out whoyou'd like to pair with Byard. But they're both potentialAll-Pro safeties.

Then I think you could come back at 18 and take a lookat either a wideout or a corner. Depending on what issitting there, you know, the wide receiver situation, Ithink there are three potential guys. There's CoreyDavis. There is John Ross, who just absolutely flies,from University of Washington. And Mike Williamsfrom Clemson. And I think they're three different-typeplayers. I think it just depends on what you're lookingfor.

Then as far as a corner situation is concerned, this is agreat corner class. If you don't get one in the firstround, you can come back in the second or third roundand really help yourself. But if you're looking at 18, Ithink Sidney Jones and Marshon Lattimore are gone bythen. If Sidney Jones is sitting there, I'd jump all overhim. He reminds me a lot of Marcus Peters, but then Ithink you're starting to look at Marlon Humphrey fromAlabama. How fast does Teez Tabor run from Florida,Quincy Wilson from Florida. Adoree' Jackson, I think,is more of a second-round guy, but his talent is throughthe roof.

So I think at 5 and 18, Tennessee can really helpthemselves regardless of what direction they go in.

Q. Mike, you were among the many whocommented on the depth of the defensive tackletalent in last year's draft. Are there any positionswith better than normal depth this year that couldbenefit the Lions in these early rounds? The teamneeds pretty much talent anywhere on defense?MIKE MAYOCK: I think it's one of the best defensivedrafts I've seen, and I think the defensive edge rusher,whether it's 4-3 or 3-4. But, you know, Detroit istypically a four-man front, and I think when you startgetting into the middle of the round -- you know, TimWilliams from Alabama is more of a 3-4 outsidelinebacker. He's got some off-the-field issues, butthose could cause him to slide.

I think Derek Barnett is one of the hardest working,toughest edge rushers in this draft or any draft. I thinkhe's going to go somewhere. Let's say 10 to 22,somewhere in that range.

Solomon Thomas from Stanford. Kid can play outsideon run down, inside on pass downs. There have beensome comparisons to Aaron Donald. I'm not sure I seethat, but I love his versatility. And then you start talkingabout a Taco Charlton from Michigan, who is really


gifted. A long-edge guy. Charles Harris.

The nice thing for the Lions is even if they chose to goin a different direction, like a linebacker, for instance, Idon't think Reuben Foster would be there, but if hewas, you can get a corner in the second or third round.You can get an edge guy in the second or third round.This defensive draft at edge and corner is outstanding,also at safety.

Q. You've long been bullish on Alex Smith and hisability to get the Chiefs to the Super Bowl. Justcurious if you still feel that way, number one. Thennumber two, who are some quarterback fits for theChiefs in this draft, and if you see any, why?MIKE MAYOCK: Yeah, that's a hard question. It's agood question: I am bullish on Alex Smith because Iread you guys a list of quarterbacks early on, and, youknow, there's only eight or ten franchise guys in theleague. If Alex Smith isn't one of them, he's just kind ofa notch below, and that's better than most of the otherteams around the league. I could name you half theleague that needs a quality starting quarterback.

So I believe the Chiefs are ahead of most of the teams.I think you've got to be careful for what you wish forbecause it may come true. As far as this particulardraft is concerned, the way I'd look at it if I was KansasCity and I was looking for a quarterback, I'd rather geta guy that I felt like had some talent.

Again, my message early on is keep slinging. Look atNew England, they've been thinking for years whenTom Brady is going to run out of gas. And they'vedrafted consistently second-round quarterbacks, andthey did it again last year with Jacoby Brissett in thethird round.

So I would see no problem with Kansas City if theytook a look at. And I tell you one guy I think isinteresting is Chad Kelly from Ole Miss. He's gotcharacter concerns and he's got injury concerns. If hedidn't have those, we'd be talking about him as asecond-round guy and maybe higher.

I think Brad Kaaya from Miami and Josh Dobbs fromTennessee are the two quarterbacks I would classify ashaving some talent, but kind of long-range,developmental prospects. But they have talent. So ifyou took a guy like that in the third round, for instance,and tried to develop him, I think that would be a prettygood plan. I also think in general that the free agentquarterback class is going to be a little more intriguingto some teams this year than in typical.

Q. The Colts obviously have a near desperate needfor an edge rusher. My question is do they need to

go first round, or is this a deep enough groupwhere they can wait and maybe find somebody daytwo?MIKE MAYOCK: Yeah, I think one of the messages inthis year's draft at edge, corner and safety is there isgreat quality at the top, but there is depth throughout.So just for instance, say they're looking in the secondor third round for an edge guy. I would tell you thatDeMarcus Walker from Florida State is intriguing, andhe's going to go in the second or third round. TarellBasham from Ohio University, he's a really goodfootball player, and he can play for somebody this yearas a rookie. He probably -- he might not go to the third,but I've got a second-round grade on him. JordanWillis from Kansas State. There is this freaky kid fromVillanova named Tanoh Kpassagnon. He's 6'7", 280,and just kind of starting to figure out how good hemight be some day. He's going to be an intriguing guyto watch at the combine. I mean, he could go as highas the second round, as low as the fourth round, buthe's got freaky gifts.

So there is talent throughout for the edge-rush group.

Q. When you go through the film library onJonathan Allen, what do you see in terms of hisNFL-readiness, and where do you see his elitestrength at the next level?MIKE MAYOCK: I think he's one of the two or threebest players in this draft. I think you bang the tables forhim, he came backs a senior and had a crazy goodyear. His tape is outstanding, and it doesn't matterwhich tape you put in, they're all good.

What I like about him is he dominates outside in therun game. So you could line this 296-pound guy upoutside on first down, if you wanted to, and let him seta physical edge. But I think he's going to make hismoney as an inside pass-rusher. He's quick enough tobeat some of those guards and tackles, and he'sstrong enough to beat those guards and tackles.

So inside or outside, I think he's a special player, and Ithink the fact that he came back this year and had thekind of year he did when it would have been easy tocome out last year, for me, I think Cleveland, for one,has got to be looking at the kid from A&M, MylesGarrett, and they've got to be looking at JonathanAllen. And by the way, I think Chicago has to be also.

Q. Want to ask you about the Eagles' strategy.They draft either 14 or 15, and their biggest needs,obviously, are wide receiver and cornerback. So atthat spot, would it be best for them to pick whichguy is best available there and then maybe try todouble back into the later rounds? If they do thatwith the cornerback in the first round, is the wide


receiver class as defense as maybe cornerbacksare in the later rounds?MIKE MAYOCK: Yeah, I think the wide receiver class isgood, but I don't think it's as deep as corner. So, ifyou're there at 14 or 15, I think the Eagles have to belooking really hard at all three of those potential first-round wideouts.

I think all three of them potentially go between 10 and20, and I know people have some injury concernsabout John Ross from Washington, but as a verticalthreat, he's probably the best one in this draft.

So I think the Eagles have to be looking at all three.They're distinctly different. I think the Eagles have tofigure out what their order of preference is, what kind ofstyle they want. But they've got to be looking hard atall three of those guys and know up front whether ornot if one or two or all three were available who they'regoing to take. Then I think they can drop back in thelater round.

It wouldn't bother me at all if they drafted a couplecorners, and I think they could. I think they can get oneand two, I think they could. It's so deep at corner whenyou start talking where's Gareon Conley going to gofrom Ohio State? There is a kid named AhkelloWitherspoon, 6'3", out of Colorado. People are talkingabout him in the fourth round. He's a good footballplayer. Damontae Kazee if they want a nickel. CamSutton. I can get through four rounds of qualitycorners, and I've never been able to say that before.

Q. Knowing what the Cardinals need to do oncePalmer retires maybe after this season, do they godraft to look for that future guy? Is there a guythey can mold within a year to take over?MIKE MAYOCK: I think it's a similar question that a lotof teams throughout the league are answering rightnow with aging quarterbacks. Drew Brees is 38, TomBrady is 39, your guy's 37, Ben Roethlisberger isgetting older.

I think there are a bunch of teams around the leaguesaying: Who is next? And when do you pull the triggerand how high do you pull the trigger?

I mentioned earlier in the call two quarterbacks Ithought were interesting developmental prospects, andthat's Kaaya and Dobbs. Another person I'd throw inthere who is probably a third-round pick is Davis Webbfrom Cal, transfer from Texas Tech who was the MVPof the Senior Bowl. Played in the same Cal offensethat Jared Goff did. He's very much a spread guy.He's not ready to play, but he's a big guy. He's got alive arm. He's got good enough feet. He's another guyI would really like to develop.

There is a lot of conversation with Patrick Mahomesfrom Texas Tech. He's different. He's a gunslinger.He's got an innate feel for the game. The more I lookat him, the more I'm pushing him higher and closer tothat first-round conversation with Kizer, Watson, andTrubisky. So I think Mahomes is picking up steam inNFL circles.

I think you could get Webb perhaps in the third round,and then I think Kaaya and Dobbs are the guys as faras developmental guys if you're not going to try to tradefor a quarterback, like a Garoppolo or Romo, et cetera.

Q. Mike, this is sort of an off-the-wall type ofquestion, but you're sort of in both environmentsnow. How do you see the NFL balancing thecombines as being -- what it's for in evaluating,chance to interview players, yet it's a marketingtool with all the fan access and media access? Yousort of see it's tough to balance that or not?MIKE MAYOCK: What do you mean?

Q. Well, I get the impression that the NFL is tryingto get fans more involved. I just think the NFLwants it to be more of a player-only type of thing.Or is it easy to balance those two?MIKE MAYOCK: I think what it is is kind of the age-oldconversation inside the NFL where the competitioncommittee and football guys would like to keep it asprivate as possible. It was difficult to open it up yearsago for television. As you guys know, there is nomedia allowed inside. They have very few fans allowedinside. And I think the football guys like it that way.

Now, I think the other side of the NFL looks at it as ahuge media opportunity. The ratings are good, theinterest is high. Just how far do we go with pushingthe, quote, Underwear Olympics out there as amassive event for fans, and I think the recent legitimateconversation internally about how it should be treated.I'm kind of an old-school football guy, and I kind of likejust sitting there, evaluating and keeping it that what itis, but obviously what I think doesn't matter.

Q. Wondering how you envision the interviewprocess in Indianapolis going for ChristianMcCaffrey in terms of how much might teamspress him on the decision to miss the Sun Bowl?Is that an issue for only teams that already hadissues about him? Is it an issue for nobody? Howdo you look at that?MIKE MAYOCK: It's a tough one because it's a newone. I think Fournette's going to have to answer thesame questions. The old-school football people aregoing to go a little bit more hard. Hey, what are youthinking about here? You walked out on yourteammates. You put individual ahead of team.


I don't think it's going to ultimately cost him. In myopinion I think there's enough people out there thatkind of look at the talent and the fact that he'scompletely clean off the field in what he can present toan NFL franchise. Now, doesn't mean he's not going tohave to answer some questions by every team. He is.But I ultimately don't think it's going to cost him.

I think we're seeing kind of a new age. And I thinkmore and more players are kind of looking out there,especially after the Jaylon Smith Notre Dame situationin his bowl game. So I think they're going to face a fewuncomfortable questions. But at the end of the day, Idon't think it's going to cost any of them a draft slot.

Q. Got another McCaffrey question for you, I guess.I wanted to know if he's worthy of a first-round pickgiven his position and the depths of running backin the draft. Beyond that, looking at the Lions whodesperately need to upgrade their running game.How much would he actually diversify things, giventhey have a pass-catcher in Reddick and Abdullah,and a guy that's not been healthy of late?MIKE MAYOCK: Right, and I think you have to besmart at how you're looking at utilizing talent. I thinkthe best match-up coach in football is Bill Belichick,and he's been doing that for years. From myperspective, McCaffrey's a match-up guy. He's a chesspiece. He averaged -- just like Dalvin Cook andFournette and Kamara, he averaged between 6 and6.5 yards a carry. He's an outstanding pass catcher.He's bigger and tougher than people think he is. Andhe's also a return guy.

So you've got to have a plan if you draft him with thefirst-round pick as to how you want to utilize him,especially based on what you have on your rosteralready. Now, if you're Detroit and you're looking for arunning back, are you looking for a big, physical guythat can handle the load in the fourth quarter in yourfour-minute offense and downhill in denying? Or areyou looking for a guy that can go out the slot and playand all that when you already have Reddick? I thinkeach team's going to evaluate him differently.

But the bottom line for me is that especially the wholerunning back position, Fournette is a differentconversation than Dalvin Cook, Christian McCaffrey, orAlvin Kamara, or throw Mixon in there, because thoselast four guys are today's NFL. They're going to get 20touches, but it's going to be probably 12 or 13 in therun game; 6, 7 or 8 in pass game. If you draftFournette, you better give him 25 touches in the rungame.

So you've got to have a plan. And I've got five running

backs with first-round grades. I think three are going togo in the first round, because Mixon's character, and Ithink Kamara's going to have enough questions aboutwhy he didn't play more. But I think the other three aregoing in the first round.

Q. I'm wondering how you would compare andcontrast Malik Hooker and Jamal Adams, andwould either of those guys give the Bears bettervalue at No. 3 than a corner?MIKE MAYOCK: I think this is a year where we'relooking at two safeties that are certainly Top 10 picks,and maybe even Top 5, and looking at the best talent inthe draft, the Texas A&M edge and the Alabamadefensive tackle to me are probably one and two, butafter that the corners are in the conversation -- excuseme, the two safeties are in the conversation.

Today's NFL is a pass-first league, and the safetyposition is changing. Playing against three wideoutsand a tight end at a minimum, 65, 70% of the time.

So safeties that can cover are at a premium. That's along way of saying that I think both these kids cancover. I wouldn't be talking about them as Top 10 picksif I didn't think they were complete safeties.

I think Adams is a little bit more physical. Comesdownhill a little bit better and is a more consistenttackler. I think Hooker has better range and ball skills.Hooker as a centerfielder is phenomenal. He's got aninstinct for the game and an ability to go around thefootball. But I think Adams is more physical.

So it's really what a team's looking for, but they bothcan drop down and cover the slot. They both cancover tight ends. But there is just a subtle difference inthe styles that they play.

Q. Jim Schwartz's defense is all about the passrush. They gave up the second most pass plays of30 yards or more in the league last year, but alsoonly had 37 sacks. Given that, how do you weighwhat's a greater need for that unit right now, edgerusher or corner?MIKE MAYOCK: I think the way you do it is as you'reapproaching being on the clock, you're evaluatingwhat's available in both units or both positions, I shouldsay. The bottom line for the Eagles, they need, I think,at least a couple corners this year. I don't care if you'retalking about draft or free agency. You need two orthree bodies back there.

And up front, anybody that can get to the quarterbackis going to be of interest to the Eagles, whether it'sinside or outside. So I think when you're at the clock at15 or 14, you're looking at it and going, okay, if Sidney


Jones, the corner from Washington who I think isinstinctive, like a Marcus Peters, are you comparinghim to who as an edge rusher or an internal rusher?Who is there on the clock at that time? Who does thejob better?

I think that's how they have to look at it, and it's thesame thing in the second round, is that defensive endor defensive tackle more highly rated than that corneror that safety? I think there's enough really goodplayers at both of those positions that they can doreally well in this draft.

Q. What are Deshaun Watson's issues transitioningto the program in that spread offense? What doyou have on the Arkansas D-lineman JeremiahLedbetter?MIKE MAYOCK: Yeah, I tell you, Watson, from myperspective, I'm fascinated with the kid. Just a reallyquick overview on the quarterback position in generalthis year, you know, I'm not bullish on the quarterbacksthis year because I don't think any of them are readyday one. I think they all have different issues.

But when you look at Deshaun Watson, I see a kid thatwent 28-2 in his last two years as a starter. I thoughthe played his best when the lights were brightestagainst the best defenses. His two games of 15 and16 against Alabama. Put the tape on and watch thekid play. He's a competitor. When the game's on theline, he gets better. He does not shrink.

So, having said that, I love and I'm fascinated by him,but my concern, like all spread quarterbacks, and Idon't care if it's Jared Goff, Paxton Lynch, MarcusMariota, Johnny Manziel, RG3, I don't care who theyare, they all have a major adjustment when they get tothe NFL. And Deshaun Watson, like those other guys,has to show he can win in the pocket. When he sitsthere and that first read is available, he's really good.He can make throws at all three levels with greataccuracy. When that first look isn't there, it starts tobreak down a little bit.

Part of his instinct is to try to get out of the pocketbecause he's such a good athlete, but when he stays inthe pocket, his accuracy drops, I think his decision-making drops. He throws a lot of interceptions wherehe doesn't see underneath coverage, and typically it'son his second or third read. So like most spreadquarterbacks, I think that's the challenge.

Now, as far as Ledbetter, he's an interesting kid. He's6'3", 281, really long arms, led the team in sacks. Hada really good East-West league. I think he's got to fightconsistency. He's got to play hard on every singlesnap. I think the 4-3 teams out there are going to likehim as a base defensive end. And I think he's probably

going to go on the third day somewhere.

Q. As a follow-up to the running back discussionearlier, I'm just curious how you weigh their needsin the running game between the offensive linegetting improvements there or in the back field.And as a follow-up to that, what running backsmake sense to you for the Lions?MIKE MAYOCK: Well, their offensive line is pretty soft.They did a nice job with Taylor Decker. I think theinterior guys are all pretty interesting. Tomlinson andWarford are big bodies and should be better in the rungame. Riley Reiff, I believe he's a potential free agentthis year.

So I'm always bullish on inside-out. If you can helpyourself in the run game with an offensive lineman, Ithink that's probably the best way to go about it. Butwhen you look at the Lions running backs, it comesdown to who is healthy and how do you use them?And what they really don't have, I don't think, is that bigbanger that is the first of the ten backs, your fourthquarterback, you've got pass catchers, you've got quickguys, you've got fast guys. But I think you need thatback, and they don't have that bigger back. From myperspective, pairing a big back with what they have in-house would really help them.

Q. My question is about the Browns with thenumber one overall pick. I keep hearing a lot ofpeople, pretty much everybody, saying, hey, it'sMyles Garrett, Myles Garrett. You seem to have amore open mind saying they really need to look atMyles Garrett and Jonathan Allen. Is that morebecause you have worries about Myles Garrett oryou just think so highly of Jonathan Allen? Canyou break down your thoughts on those two guysand the Browns looking at them in number onewith Gregg Williams and his defense andconsidering all those factors?MIKE MAYOCK: Yeah, here's my deal. I think MylesGarrett has the most upside of any pass-rusher in thisdraft. When healthy, he's easy to do on tape. He's6'5", 262 pounds. He's got outside edgeability, he's gotability to come up and underneath, he can set aphysical edge in the run game. But most importantly,he can affect quarterbacks. That's what this league isabout. I think he makes a ton of sense at number one.

The reason I think Jonathan Allen has to be consideredalso is, in addition to affecting the game, he affects it alittle bit differently. So you can move him around. Hecan play just about anyplace on Gregg Williams' frontfour, inside, outside, and he could do it at a high level.

I also think he's a little bit safer. At number one, youneed a guy that you can sit there and you need a


difference maker. I think they're both differencemakers. I think there is a higher ceiling for the TexasA&M kid, but I think that Alabama kid is a greatdefensive player for the next ten years, and I think he'sjust a little bit safer than Garrett because he stayshealthy, and he just seems like he plays every singleweek. But I love them both.

Q. The Miami kid was suspended two of the lastthree years, Al-Quadin Muhammad. Do you seehim being drafted at all? And the front seven guysthe Dolphins will have an option at, they'll likely gofront seven. Who is your personal favorite amongBarnett and Charles Harris and Taco Charlton andMcKinley, Jarrad Davis, that group?MIKE MAYOCK: As far as the Al-Quadin Muhammadkid, he didn't play basically two of the last three years.He's got a significant number of issues off the field. Ithink teams are intrigued by his athleticism, but I'd besurprised if he got drafted. I think he's going to be afree agent.

As far as front seven people for Miami at No. 22, I lookat it two different ways. I look at, when I saylinebackers, I'm looking at off-the-ball linebackers, likein a 4-3, which is effectively what they're going to be.Reuben Foster should be long gone. And then afterthat, you want a Zach Cunningham from Vanderbilt, aJarrad Davis from Florida, or Haason Reddick fromTemple.

I'm very much a Haason Reddick guy, and if he testswell at the combine, I think he's going to come fromnowhere to being, at worst, a second-round pick andperhaps a late first-round pick.

Then you start talking about the edge guys as far asfront seven. I really like Derek Barnett. I think TimWilliams is going to slide a little bit with the off-the-fieldstuff, but he's more of a 3-4 guy. Derek Barnett,Solomon Thomas, Taco Charlton, I think they're all 4-3guys and really all first-round picks.

Then you get to the 3-4 guys, Takk McKinley, T.J. Watt,Charles Harris can probably play in either. There areeight guys that I have potential first-round grades onthe edge. So anybody looking for an edge in the firstround is going to find them.

Q. I want to ask you about a few CU kids, thequarterback, Sefo, and then three DBs, ChidobeAwuzie, Tedric Thompson, and AhkelloWitherspoon, like you mentioned. And what areyour thoughts on the offensive linemen, andparticularly the tackle that's top of the class.MIKE MAYOCK: Okay, the Colorado kids. Thequarterback, I love his competitiveness and his

toughness. I don't think he's a natural thrower of thefootball. In a typical year, only about 12 quarterbacksget drafted. That is the average over the last fiveyears. I'm not sure he's going to be drafted as aquarterback.

As far as the defensive backs are concerned, I reallylike their defensive backs. Awuzie is one of my favoriteplayers. If he's not going to start at the outside, he'sgoing to start at nickel and perhaps even free safety.I've got a second-round grade on him, and I think he'sphysical, tough.

The Witherspoon kid, very quietly a lot of NFL teamslike because of his length. He fits that cover one/coverthree, Seattle, Atlanta, San Francisco kind of style.

The safety, Thompson, I also like. He's a ball-hawkingfree safety. Not as physical as I would like. At thepresent time misses a lot of tackles, doesn't get veryinvolved in the run game, so he's really a free safetyonly, which will limit where he can go.

Then I guess the second question was the tackles. It'sone of the few groups that isn't really strong this year.I've got Ramczyk and Bolles one and two. After thosetwo kids -- and when I say that, I've got Cam Robinsonas a guard. He could also play tackle, obviously. But Ithink there is a drop-off after Ramczyk and Bolles. In atypical year, ten tackles go in the first three rounds, andI can't find ten guys that I would give grades to theirrounds one through three.

Q. What are your thoughts on what the Jets shoulddo at No. 6 as you look at their many needs?Would you in any way put quarterback in there as apossibility for them?MIKE MAYOCK: I don't do team needs until after freeagency because it's, frankly, a waste of time. But thequarterback thing for the Jets is really frustrating. Imean, they took Hackenberg last year. Geno's notworking out. Petty's still on the roster.

So they've expended some pretty high draft picks on abunch of quarterbacks that have paid no fruit. So ifyou're asking me whether the Jets at No. 6 should takea quarterback, I would emphatically tell you no. As amatter of fact, I don't have a Top 10 grade on anyquarterback in this draft. So I would not be in thatconversation.

If you're talking about what the Jets should do at sixbased on what they've done with their offensive line,they just released or didn't re-sign three of their startingoffensive linemen. That's a real need for them,obviously. At No. 6, is there a guy worthy of that?Probably not. I think you're going to end up, justbecause of value, unless they trade back -- I think


you're going to look at a defensive back, corner orsafety, or one of the edge guys. I think that's wherethey're going to end up being. Because if you'repicking six, you've got to get a great football player.You've got to get five or six of the best players in thedraft. So if you're the Jets, you're hoping a couple ofthose quarterbacks go early until a better positionalplayer falls to you.

Q. Lions linebackers last year, no sacks, nointerceptions, no fumbles. No really impact plays.Obviously, DeAndre Levy didn't help that. But I'mcurious, at No. 21, is there an impact guy at thatposition that makes sense for them? I know youmentioned Foster's probably gone. But Reddick,Davis, Cunningham, does one fit the lines at 21?MIKE MAYOCK: Yeah, I think they could. Keep inmind, for instance, the Atlanta Falcons did anunbelievable job rebuilding their defense over a two-year period and almost winning a Super Bowl. It wasbased on a couple things. It was based on speed andtoughness. For instance, they drafted that safety,Keanu Neal, and he set a tone. They drafted in thesecond round, Deion Jones, the linebacker from LSUwho is one of the fastest linebackers who ever ran atthe combine. And he had a great year. De'VondreCampbell, who I think they took in the fourth or fifthround, again, tough guy that could run.

So in a similar situation with Detroit, Reuben Foster isgone. I think the three guys that you have to talk aboutare Haason Reddick, Zach Cunningham, and JarradDavis. All three of them fit the bill of guys that can run.Highly competitive and tough.

Now, Cunningham is kind of a high-cut guy, where theother two are just a little bit more low-cut and explosive.But there are three that would have to be in theconversation if you were going to pull the trigger at alinebacker at, what is it? 21, I believe.

So, beyond that there are some guys in the secondround. And a couple of those guys could fall into thesecond round. I mean, Reddick or Jarrad Davis mighteven be there in the second round. But they're goodfootball players. Alex Anzalone from Florida, thesecond or third round. Tyus Bowser from Louisville,second or third round. So I think there are linebackersthat could help Detroit, and I think they could get themin the first three rounds.

Q. The Ravens have a lot of needs on defense --cornerback, safety, outside linebacker. But if theysaw Corey Davis or Mike Williams go there, dropdown to No. 16 or even one of the running backs,do you think they could pull the trigger on theoffensive weapon there given all the depth on

defense and whatnot?MIKE MAYOCK: Well, I think if you follow Ozzie andEric DeCosta over the years, what they do really well isthey typically get good football players because theydon't reach for positional needs. Of course they havecommon sense about what they need. But at the endof the day, if they're picking 16, when there is a runningback on the board that they've got ranked No. 7 andhe's the highest rated guy on the board, yeah, I couldsee them pulling the trigger, and that's it. That's whythey're typically such a good football team.

Now, you can look anywhere on that front seven,because I think they have some needs, and I think youcould understand that at 16 there is going to be somefront-seven talent available. So, my gut tells me it willbe somewhere in that front seven. But, shoot, if theyhad a wideout or running back highly rated and someof that defensive talent got gobbled up early, yeah, Icould see them pulling the trigger.

Q. Kevin Colbert said what he wants to accomplishat the combine. As you see what edge rushers fitinto the scheme and drop into coverage, myquestion to you is that a difficult evaluation tomake in a short time at the combine, and whatguys do you think can do that?MIKE MAYOCK: I struggled to hear you there. You'retalking about edge rushers that can rush and drop andwhether or not you'll see that at the combine?

Q. Yeah, the edge rushers who can also drop intocoverage, what guys can make that transition tothe NFL? And is that a difficult evaluation to makeat the combine, like Colbert said they'd try to dothis weekend, next weekend?MIKE MAYOCK: Yeah, you see every year they do acouple drills for what they call the hybrids, which aredefensive ends that work out with the defensive linegroup but maybe ask to stand up as 34 outsidelinebackers in the NFL. And they do a really nice jobafter the D-line is done of pulling those guys out.There is always a group of anywhere from five to ten ofthose guys, and they put them through a linebackerworkout, which is all drops. It's all opening your hips,running on angles, trying to catch a football.

You can tell some of the guys are going to be a project.You can also tell that although it's a little bit foreign tosome of the other guys, they're kind of fluid. It's easierfor them to open their hips, drop their weight, et cetera.

I think Pittsburgh over the years has done a pretty goodjob of developing their edge guy. Sometimes it takes ayear or two. But in this particular draft, I've said severaltimes, Tim Williams from Alabama could do it easily.And I think he's going to slide a little bit for some off-


the-field stuff. I think Takk McKinley from UCLA isbetter going forward. He's a little bit tight.

But, again, when you're evaluating 34 outsidelinebackers, there are three things they've got to beable to do, and in this order: Number one, they've gotto be hellacious pass-rushers; number two, they've gotto set a physical edge in the run game; and numberthree, they have to drop.

So the ability to drop is number three, and by far theleast important. So, I think Takk McKinley can do it. Ithink T.J. Watt can do it exceptionally well. CharlesHarris can do it. Ryan Anderson can probably do it.Carl Lawson.

So there are a bunch of guys in this draft. YoungstownState has two kids. There are a bunch of guys that fitthe bill, and I know Kevin and his guys will be busy withthat.

Q. Two of the prominent players in this draft, MylesGarrett and Deshaun Watson, have jokinglyappealed to the Cowboys to trade for the No. 1 pickso that they could draft them. Obviously, it was ajoke. But if you're the Browns, how do you react tothis in the interview with these players? Do youwrite this off to player immaturity, bad advice, or isthis a show of the lack of respect the Browns havegotten has sunk to the college ranks?MIKE MAYOCK: No, I don't see any lack of respect forCleveland. I see a little bit of immaturity on behalf ofthe kids. And I also see some natural -- I mean, somekids grow up in a certain area or are attracted to acertain team. They're a little bit too bubbly andinfectious about it. I understand that.

I don't think Cleveland should be -- I don't think the fansor the people in the building in Cleveland should worryabout it at all. Sit down, work the kids out, interviewthem. Trust me, if Cleveland drafts either of those kids,they're going to come in ready to play.

Q. Who would you take if you were the Chargers atNo. 7?MIKE MAYOCK: Again, who do you think -- whatpositions are you looking at? O-line? Outsidelinebacker? Safety? What do you think?

Q. We're thinking, well, either one. Just looking foryour perspective on this.MIKE MAYOCK: Well, again, we haven't had freeagency, so that can change everything as far as what ateam's looking for.

From my perspective, when you're drafting at No. 7,you get a great football player regardless of position. I

don't look at team needs quite as hard, A, at this timeof the year, or, B, in the Top 10. Because if you're inthe Top 10, you've got to come out with a Pro Bowlplayer.

So the Chargers at No. 7, first thing you've got to lookat, you've got to protect your quarterback and thatoffensive line has struggled. Is there an offensivelineman worthy of the seventh pick in the draft? Myanswer would probably be no. So then I would tend tomove on and say, okay, how about outside linebacker,safety, corner?

And I think two safeties that I talked about earlier, MalikHooker, because, let's face it, the Chargers lost EricWeddle, I think Malik Hooker fits them like a glove.Then, again, at the edge position, getting twoquarterbacks, who makes a lot of sense there?Garrett's going to be gone. Tim Williams has some off-the-field stuff. I think they'd be looking hard at a DerekBarnett or -- Derek Barnett would probably make themost sense at No. 7.

Q. Real quick, of course, the Panthers apparentlyjust tagged KK Short, but the edge rusher is aposition for them that a lot of people are marking tothem at 8. But the other position you've alreadytalked about is running back, and I just wonderwhat you think is the most bang for your buck?The best impact player at that position? Would itbe running back for the Panthers at 8 or an edgerusher?MIKE MAYOCK: I'm a little bit intrigued by the LeonardFournette-Carolina conversation, because, as Imentioned earlier in the call, I think Fournette is adifferent conversation. He's got to go to a team that'sgoing to run him the football and feed him 20 to 25times. He's not going to be much of an impact in thepass game.

But when you start talking about Cam Newton takingless hits, it's, to me, if you've got a big back like thatthat you can commit for the next six to eight years,we're just going to feed the big boy and we're goingafter it on the run game, and feed the Cam Newtonstrength off the play action, I think that would be asignificant impact.

Now, obviously the edge guys are important. Andwhen you get on the clock, you're looking at a bunch ofdifferent things. But I happen to think Fournette is anice fit with Carolina.

Q. Thank you very much. I wonder if I may get yourevaluation and grade on an offensive lineman fromOle Miss, Justin Senior? And also pick your brainon three other players -- Geoff Gray, an offensive


lineman from Manitoba; Antony Auclair from Laval,a tight end; and Justin Herdman, the linebackerfrom Simon Fraser, please?MIKE MAYOCK: We're going Canadian here, right?

Q. Yeah, well, the Canadian press.MIKE MAYOCK: The second name, I don't think I'veseen tape on him, what is his name? Gray?

Q. Geoff Gray, the offensive lineman fromManitoba. He was at the East-West.MIKE MAYOCK: I saw very little of him, but I saw notea. But the other three I have a pretty good feel for.Justin Senior's a guy that I thought over a two-weekperiod, because he was in East-West and Senior Bowl,what I thought he did best was get better as the weekswent on. I thought he was a little bit overwhelmedearly in the Senior Bowl, and all of a sudden by midweek, it seemed to click.

He's got length, he's got size. I think he's probablygoing to be -- and this is a really bad offensive tackleclass, so he could get pushed up higher. Typically I'dhave him as a fifth-round guy, but he could go in thethird or fourth round because it's a tough class, andhe's got some upside.

Auclair is the tight end, I believe, correct, from Laval, if Iremember?

Q. You're correct.MIKE MAYOCK: He opened some eyes at the East-West game. He's a strong kid. He works hard. He's atough kid, but he's a better athlete than I think peoplewere expecting. Very raw, doesn't know what he'sdoing yet, doesn't really know how to run routes theway he's going to have to run them, but he caught theball well. And because of his height-weight-speedcombination, I think even in a really deep tight endclass this year, I think he could be late draftable.

Then the other kid was Herdman, right, the SimonFraser kid?

Q. That's correct.MIKE MAYOCK: I saw him a little bit on tape, and,again, at The Senior Bowl, and I liked his movementskills. I thought again as the week went he did a betterjob of covering running backs. I wasn't sure whether itwould be an edge guy or off-the-ball linebacker. But Ithink he's an off-the-ball linebacker with enough athleticskill to get drafted a little later in the draft on the thirdday.

Q. I wanted to ask, how much do you think all thisstuff about Chad Kelly not getting invited to thecombine has kind of affected his stock? And what

Ole Miss prospect has the most to gain at thecombine?MIKE MAYOCK: How many guys do they have, OleMiss, at the combine?

Q. I think four or five.MIKE MAYOCK: You have a couple wideouts.

Q. D.J. Jones.MIKE MAYOCK: Oh, yeah, you know what? I like him.D.J. Jones is a defensive tackle that kind of popped forme on tape. Better player than I thought he was.Short area quickness that I really liked, and I think thewideouts will go there and look pretty and run fast, butthis kid in short areas -- and I'm anxious to see him inkind of -- forget the measurables for a second, but justthe defensive line drills, I think he's quick, explosive inshort areas, and I like him. I think he can help himself.

I think Adeboyejo is a good receiver who is very slim,but I think he's going to run pretty well. He helpedhimself at the East-West game.

Again, I told you guys how I felt about the characterplayers not being invited. I think it's a mistake. Howmuch is it going to hurt them? I don't think it's going tohurt them because the teams still have to vet thesekids. They still have to spend time with these kids.

They've got two evaluations with him. He's coming off-- he's got two ACLs, one in '13, one in '16, and he'sgot multiple off-the-field issues. So they've got to vethim medically and from a character perspective.

So I think worst-case scenario, he's got second-roundtalent. But when you throw the medical and off-the-field in there, I don't think he's going in the first tworounds.

So I don't think it's hurting him that he's not at thecombine, but he's going to need to put his best footforward with all the individual meetings with the teams.

Q. Hey, Mike, you had talked earlier about the threewide receivers in the first round and the decisionthe Eagles would have to make. In most years,rookie wide receivers, and obviously you're notdrafting them for one year, but most years rookiewide receivers don't have a huge impact. Do yousee any of those guys really being capable ofputting up big numbers as rookies, being like No. 1type receivers right away?MIKE MAYOCK: Well, there are three distinctly differentguys left. And I think John Ross is intriguing to mefrom an Eagles perspective. So, again, he's got somemedical. I'm just saying talent. You take the medicaloff the board for a second. He's probably the best


vertical threat in the draft.

I think that would help the rest of the Eaglesunderneath. They desperately need speed. If you'retalking about a guy that's going to run 4.35, which Ithink he will, and he's also really quick. For instance,Fuller, Will Fuller of Notre Dame, went in the middle ofthe first round last year, and he's almost the sameheight and weight, and he ran 4.3 (indiscernible).

I think this kid can run just as fast as Fuller, but I thinkhe's quicker and a better natural catcher than Fuller.So if you take the medical out of it and just say verticalstretch, quick, fast, good hands, he's really intriguing, Ithink, as an Eagles prospect.

But then you have to look at the other two guys, andMike Williams creates his own space. I mean, he's abig, physical dude. I think he welcomes presscoverage. He uses his physicality. He catches backshoulders.

Again, if you're looking from an Eagles perspective inscoring in red zone opportunities, he's probably thebest guy as a wide receiver position in this draft in thered zone because of his catching radius andphysicality.

I have Corey Davis as the No. 1 receiver, because Ithink he's a better athlete with good size. Better runafter the catch than Mike Williams. He's not going tobe able to work out because he's injured at thecombine.

I think all three of them are in the conversation. Theybring different things to the table. And, lastly, I think I'dstruggle thinking that the three of them will struggle likeNelson Agholor did, who was another first round pick. Ithink they're going to be fine.

Q. The Raiders last year finished last in sacksdespite having Khalil Mack and Bruce Irvin.They've talked about getting an interior pass rush.You've talked about the edge guys. But who arethe interior guys the Raiders might be looking at at24 or later?MIKE MAYOCK: Yeah, and it's interesting. ObviouslyOakland got back -- didn't they get back the edge guy,what's his name, from Florida State? Towards the endof the year.

Q. Mario Edwards. He played very late, yeah.MIKE MAYOCK: Yeah, I think he's one of those guysthat can kick inside in sub packages. I think he's gotthat kind of size and versatility to play inside and out,and they really missed him.

As far as this year's draft, Caleb Brantley from Florida,who is kind of a late first round into the second round, Ithink he's intriguing. He's a quick, one-gap guy. I don'tthink you want him playing three downs every snap.But as far as an ability to rush the quarterback and getan edge on interior offensive linemen, I think he's gotthat burst that you're looking for.

I think Larry Ogunjobi from Charlotte, a name that notmany people know about, I think he's really a talentedguy. He's probably a second-round pick. He's gotsome real quick one-gap-and-go possibilities. He'salso a tough guy. At Charlotte, he's got a two-gap.He's got run game potential, and I think he's got upsideas a pass-game guy.

As you drop down, I mean, you could even get into thethird round and talk about a guy like Tanzel Smart fromTulane. Again, great motor, has some ability to pushthe pocket.

You know, I think Eddie Vanderdoes from UCLA reallyhelped himself. He had a poor year coming off anACL. I think he was heavy and out of shape. Then heshowed up at The Senior Bowl and started knockingpeople around. He's more of a physical guy. Alwaysgoing to rush the quarterback with a bull rush. He's notgoing to beat you with speed. But he's really strong ascan be.

I think there are other guys in the second-third round,Montravius Adams, Jaleel Johnson, there are someguys out there that can help even through the thirdround.

So I think the key to this interior defensive line class isJonathan Allen's up top, and then I didn't even mentionMalik McDowell from Michigan State who is probably afirst- or second-round guy also. I think there is reallygood depth in the first three or four rounds for theinterior D-line.

Q. I was hoping you could talk about DeShoneKizer and why you have him as your topquarterback, and whether you think he could sneakinto the Top 10, perhaps or even the 49ers at pickNo. 2?MIKE MAYOCK: Yeah, I don't have any quarterbacksanywhere near the Top 10. It doesn't mean that I don'tthink there is talent there, because I think there are fourquarterbacks in this draft that have first-round talent. Inmy order that I had for my initial Top 5, it was Kizer,Watson, Trubisky, and Mahomes. All four of them haveholes in their game. I don't think any of them are readyto start week one.

You're asking me about Kizer, I think he's the prototypequarterback in the NFL. He's at 6'5", 235-, 240-pound


quarterback. He's got a big arm. He's got a quickrelease. He's athletic. He's smart. He's got enoughathletic ability to move around the pocket. So I love hisphysical traits. I think he'll work hard, and I know he'ssmart.

What I don't like is how his game fell apart in the fourthquarter of a lot of games. So you either think -- itdepends whether you like him or you don't. If you likehim, you think your game fell apart because he tried todo too much this year in the fourth quarter. Or, if youdon't like him, you say, well, it's never going to happen.

I felt like his pocket mechanics fell apart, he tried to dotoo much, and the reason I have him as the numberone quarterback is I think he's got the highest ceiling ofany of the quarterbacks. But, again, I don't think he'sready to play yet.

Q. Given what the concerns are for DeshaunWatson, how does he help himself at this stage ofthe process when it is the shorts and shirtsOlympics? What's he do to alleviate some of thoseconcerns?MIKE MAYOCK: Yeah, it's a good question. I think itgoes for all the quarterbacks, especially Watson. He'splayed so darn well. And there are a bunch ofquarterback coaches around the NFL that can't wait tomeet him, can't wait to get into a room with him andhave a conversation with him.

I think the two things he can do, number one, he'salready said he's going to throw, and I love that. CamNewton said, hey, I'm coming out and throwing.

I think every quarterback needs to embrace that. Whocares if you've thrown an incomplete pass? Get outthere and show them how athletic your feet are. Andhe's got a live arm. Don't be afraid of the stage. That'snumber one.

Number two, you're going to go to all these back-to-back-to-back 15-minute meetings, and, man, this is ahigh-level kid, and when you're talking about the face ofa franchise, everybody from ownership to the GM, thehead coaches on down, they can't wait to walk into this15-minute meeting.

And I would assume he's going to walk in and light upthe room. He's well-spoken. I hear he's very smart.But they put him up on the board, put a piece of tapeon it and tell him to walk through it, I think he will.

What you really want is to whet the appetites of allthese teams so they say I can't wait to get a privatemeeting with this kid, go out to dinner with him, get aprivate workout. In other words, you want this kid tohave all 32 teams say: Wow, I want to spend more

time with you.

Q. I know there are 300-plus players in Indy thisweek, so I don't know how much you know aboutIsaiah McKenzie from Georgia, explosive returner,leading receiver on the team last season. Howimportant is a week like this for him? And givenhis size, what do you see from him?MIKE MAYOCK: Yeah, which kid is it again? Did yousay Georgia or West Georgia?

Q. Isaiah McKenzie from Georgia.MIKE MAYOCK: Let me grab my notes here because Iwatched some tape on him the other day. IsaiahMcKenzie; correct?

Q. Yeah, that's it.MIKE MAYOCK: 5'8, 175, surprised he came out as athird-year junior. Obviously, one of the keys for a kidthat size is the return game. He returned five punts fora touchdown, one kickoff. He's got six returns. Heaveraged almost 12 yards a return, almost 59 punts.So that's going to be a big deal on this kid.

I put on a little bit of his punt return wheel, and you cansee how quick he is laterally. I think one of the thingshe can do to help himself this week is also run fastvertically. Some kids are quicker than fast, like a lot ofpunt returners are. But if he can run at a certain level,4.5 or better, that would really help him. Because hereally had ten touchdowns last year. Seven by pass,two by run, and one on a punt returner. He's a spaceplayer, run after catch, find crease.

I think what you're trying to do is show you have goodhands, natural hands, you can be a return guy and aspecial teams player, but you can also be a specialtyguy on offense. Slot, move around, jet sweep. Sothat's where this kid could help himself this week.

Q. You've got the worst-case scenario for theBengals there. No quarterback going in the Top 10.They're looking for an edge rusher. They're lookingfor it to get fast on defense. Could they be in no-man's land at No. 9? Is it too high for a guy likeCharlton Barnett? And is it too high for those widereceivers, Williams or Davis? And what do youthink you could get from McCarron?MIKE MAYOCK: I think there is some interest. If youlook around the league at the quarterback situation,which is all, you know, we always talk about, I thinkunderneath the Garoppolo stuff, there is some AJMcCarron interest out there. I don't know what kind ofvalue to throw on him. And I don't know if Cincinnatiwould be willing -- what situation they'd be willing togive him up for.


But they're going to lose him after next year. I don'tknow if it's a second-round pick or third-round pick. Idon't know what the value is, but I know there aresome people out there who are saying is AJ McCarronbetter than what we have right now?

Now, as far as the No. 9 overall pick, you want all threeof those quarterbacks to go early. And they might. I'mjust telling you what I think. You could easily make acase for Cleveland at 1, San Francisco at 2, Chicago 3,the Jets at 6. Easily make a case. They needquarterbacks desperately. And you would imagine atleast one, if not two or three, are gone by the time youget to 9. Sitting there at 9 was the value. And thereare a couple running backs, because that wouldprobably help, and another situation that I don't thinkCincinnati is going to take.

So if quarterbacks and running backs go early, it helpsCincinnati. As far as the edge guys, Derek Barnett, hevery well could be sitting on the board. Derek Barnettcan play. Taco Charlton, that's a little high for me, buthe sits where that defense is. He looks like CarlosDunlap, he looks like Michael Johnson. He's 6'6", 270.That's what Paul Guenther loves, those kinds of guys.

So that's a little high for me, for him. But still he's afirst-round defensive end. And I know Coach Guentherwill get the most out of him. So I still think, regardlessof what happens, you're going to be fine at 9. You'regoing to get a good football player.

Q. How about a receiver? Is that too high for oneof those receivers?MIKE MAYOCK: No, I don't think it's too high for theconversation of Mike Williams. It's kind of at theborderline. But I don't think it's too high. I also thinksome of those safeties and corners make some sensealso. I haven't mentioned the name Marshon Lattimoreon this entire call, and those two safeties are Top 10picks. Again, depending on the quarterbacks and therunning backs, we have no idea what's going to beavailable with those safeties.

Q. You have Trubisky rated third. What is it abouthis game, other than the fact that he's played only13 games, that you have questions about?MIKE MAYOCK: You hit it on the head. You can't askme that question by saying "other than" because that'smy main answer. I'm probably old school when itcomes to quarterbacks and having some experience.

I'll be the first to tell you, I really like Mitch Trubisky.He's got quick release, a big arm, good feet. Hemoves around the pocket fairly well. So I was reallyimpressed. I wasn't expecting a whole lot when I putthe first tape in. I think I've watched five of his games.

By the way, he threw the ball 571 times this year. If youlook at Carson Wentz in his entire career, I thinkCarson only threw it 612 times. So he only threw it 30or 40 times less than Wentz did in college.

However, one year as a starter, I look at that and go,okay, 13 games, how many two-minute situations washe in? How many four-minute situations where heknew he had to bleed the clock and make calls at theline of scrimmage and do pass protections and get theball out?

I look at the Bowl game and think it's a perfectexample. It's a microcosm of what I'm talking about.He made two or three throws in that Bowl gameagainst Stanford that were big-time NFL throws underpressure. Loved them. However, in the same half, inthe second half of that game, he threw a pick six thatwas an awful read and an awful throw.

I just don't think he's ready yet. I think he's talentedand I think he's a starting NFL quarterback, but I hadabout the same grade on him that I had on Garoppolo.I think they're similar coming out of college. I had asecond-round grade on Garoppolo. So I think the kid'sa starting quarterback in the NFL. I just don't think he'sready yet.

Q. You just mentioned Jimmy Garoppolo. I'm justcurious, in your opinion, would he be worth a first-round pick in a trade for one of these teams that's alittle bit higher than the Patriots in the draft and aneed at that position? And wanted to get your takeon a tight end, is there anybody in this class whofits what the Patriots typically look for in a guy interms of being able to excel both as a receiver andas a blocker in the running game?MIKE MAYOCK: Yeah, and I'm sorry, what was the firstpart of that question? I blanked.

Q. I was just curious in your opinion is Garoppoloworth a first-round pick?MIKE MAYOCK: In my opinion, if I'm the ClevelandBrowns and I've got 1 and 12, if I came away witheither Garrett or Jonathan Allen at No. 1 and gave upthe 12th pick in the draft to get Garoppolo, I would bestoked. I would feel like I've got a difference maker ondefense, and we've got our quarterback on offense.Now let's get to work. We've got five of the first 65picks, let's get to work.

So, yeah, from my perspective, looking at thequarterbacks this year, if they gave up 12 and could getGaroppolo, I'd be all over that.

From a tight end perspective, O.J. Howard is my No. 1tight end. I don't think he gets to the end of the first


round, but he's what they like. He can block. He's areally good pass receiver, he comes out of thatAlabama program that they respect.

And as you drop down and look at the other tight endsafter him, there are some really good pass-catchingtight ends that would be more like a Hernandez. Youstart talking about David Njoku from Miami, he's anabsolute freak, and he's also tough enough to learnhow to block.

Again, I don't know if he gets to the Patriots. EvanEngram and Gerald Everett are two guys that are kindof the move, wide receiver/tight end that can play in theslot. Jake Butt had an ACL at the end of his season forMichigan, but he's one of those in-line blockers. Toughguy and good enough athletically to catch the ball shortand immediate.

I mean, this is a great tight end class. You can getsecond-, third-round tight ends that make a lot ofsense. Down the road a little bit, Michael Roberts fromToledo is a big guy that needs to block better, but he'sgot some pass catching skills.

So I think New England's going to have a choice of abunch of different tight ends in this draft. And they getthem in the first three rounds.

Q. Kind of following up on the tight ends with theGiants at 23, do you think Howard and Njoku wouldbe there and be guys that would make sense totarget?MIKE MAYOCK: Typically when you start talking aboutfirst-round tight ends, they come in to play somewherein that second half of the first rounds. And I think that'swhat's going to happen with Howard and Njoku.Haven't gone through a bunch of team needs here, so Ican't sit here and tell you if I think the head of theGiants is going to take a tight end. I do think thatHoward and Njoku would both be in a conversation atthat point, though. They're both that talented.

Q. I just wanted to know what positions do youthink the Seahawks are going to focus on this weekat the NFL combine and just in the draft in general,what areas you think they'll add more depth at?MIKE MAYOCK: Well, I think you start with offensiveline. They've spent a lot of years trusting Tom Cable towork wonders with defensive players converted andbasketball players and all the rest. But I think prioritynumber one has got to be to help Russell Wilson takeless hits. It's not a good tackle class; however, whoknows if Ramczyk or Garett Bolles was sitting therelater in the first round.

I think there are some really good interior offensive

linemen that could be available. One of the guys that Ithink would be a great fit for Seattle is Forrest Lampfrom Western Kentucky. He's a left tackle. He had thebest single offensive line game I've seen againstAlabama in five years. He played left tackle there. Ithink he's going to be a guard in the NFL, like a ZackMartin-type guard, that's how good I think he is. CamRobinson is another guy, but I think he's probably goneby then.

So I think first and foremost they've got to concentrateon drafts and a couple of offensive linemen and try andhelp Russell Wilson. After that, if you're looking at 26, Ithink the corner class would be really interesting. Whowas it? Shead I think got hurt at the end of the year,and they need some depth behind those two starters.

You start to get down to 26 in the draft. I think you'relooking at Darrion Wilson -- excuse me, Darien Conley,Quincy Wilson, Adoree' Jackson would be reallyintriguing at some point, first or second round. I thinkthey're going to pay some attention to the defensivetackles, too, just to try to bolster that interior pass rush,Caleb Brantley, Malik McDowell, Larry Ogunjobi.

Q. Deep corner draft, deep safety draft, as I thinkyou mentioned, who are some of the guys that yousee might fit for what Bill Belichick usually looksfor that versatility in the secondary?MIKE MAYOCK: Yeah, it's really -- I mean, this safetyclass, it's not sexy to talk safeties, and the only twowe've really talked about are Malik Hooker or JamalAdams. Of my Top 5 safeties, Jabrill Peppers is thenext one from Michigan, and he's more of an in-the-boxnickel linebacker. He's just always around football, asis Budda Baker from Washington. Very similar. I thinkhe's a nickel more than anything.

I think a guy that would have to be interesting to NewEngland is Obi Melifonwu from Connecticut. He's 6'4,219, and he's probably going to run sub-4.5, and if heruns in that range, I think teams are going to look athim as a corner and say safety.

And the reason -- I think New England with MattPatricia, I think they're the best match-up group in theleague. You look at what they did with Eric Rowe fromthe Eagles, what they did with Van Noy, two guys thatwere kind of castoffs, and they brought them there formatch-up reasons. That's what they do.

So I look at Melifonwu, and he's a guy that could covertight ends one week and go out on a big wideout thenext week. I think he'd be interesting.

And a really good football player that nobody talksabout is Lorenzo Jerome of Saint Francis. And whathe runs this week is going to be important. But I think


he can play both safety positions, and he's really, reallya good football player. Like him a lot.

And two other names. Des King, who is a corner fromIowa that I think is going to be a nickel or safety. And Ithink New England always has success moving thoseguys around a little bit. I like Des King. I like KevinKing from Washington who is a corner that can playsome free safety. And I like Chidobe Awuzie fromColorado who getting a corner I think might be betteroff as a safety. So there are a bunch of names for you.

Q. I'm focusing on the San Diego State kids. Firstoff, Donnel Pumphrey, wanted to get yourassessment of him coming into the combine. Whatcan he do to improve his stock this week? And ifyou can give any thoughts on some of histeammates coming this week -- Siragusa, Kazee,and Brunskill. Thank you.MIKE MAYOCK: I'm a big fan of those first two kids,and when you start talking about two-time, MountainWest Conference, Offensive and Defensive Players ofthe Year, to me, that's significant. They've performed ata high level over a period of time. And gettingOffensive and Defensive Players of the Year I think isreally special.

Pumphrey is not a big guy, but he's quick. I think howfast he is, it will be interesting. He's got to catch thefootball, because in the NFL he's going to be a third-down change-of-pace guy, and I think they want to seehow natural his hands are.

Kazee I love because here he is a great defensiveplayer, but he played one side of the ball at San DiegoState, and he was always off. He was never in presscoverage. He went to the Senior Bowl and played bothsides and he pressed. There is no problem. He'sinstinctive, he's tough.

A lot of teams are going to ding him on size. But at theend of the day, this kid is really a good football player.So it's going to be important for him to run fast. Teamsdo not like short, slow corners. So he's got to run fast,and I think he will.

Let's see, the guard? The guard's a mauler, and I thinkhe just has to show some footwork to help himself alittle bit in the individual drills. What he runs in the 40is not important unless he runs something really badlike 5.6 or 5.5.

And the Brunskill kid is interesting because of aconversion from tight end to tackle. How big is he?What's he weigh? We all know he's going to be aproject, but how long is that project going to take.

Q. My question is about Tyrod Taylor. So much ofwhat the Bills are going to do this off-season isgoing to be guided by their decision there. Whatdo you think they should do there and how mightthat dictate their draft plans at number 10? Also,could you break down Chad Kelly's strengths andweaknesses on the field, and what do you thinkwould be a fit for him in Buffalo given his familyconnection here?MIKE MAYOCK: Right. First and foremost, I'm a TyrodTaylor fan. I understand the question here is moreabout dollars and cap dollars than it is about whetheror not he's a capable quarterback.

We started out this whole conversation today talkingabout the dearth of quarterbacks in the NFL, and he'sa capable quarterback. Is he a franchise guy? No, Idon't believe so. But he doesn't turn the football over.And when you complement him with a strong run gameand good defense, it's a winning formula.

Now, I kind of like the kid. Now, I can't comment ontheir cap situation. I know Sean McDermott probablyhas to look at this guy and go, hey, he doesn't turn theball over. If we play good defense, we have a chanceof being pretty good, pretty quickly.

Now, as far as Chad Kelly goes, I've said several timeson this call, if he didn't have medical and off-the-fieldcharacter concerns, he'd be in this conversation withthe Top 5 quarterbacks. I think worst case talent-wise,he's a second-round guy. He might even sneak intothe first round in some drafts. Again, without themedical and without the off-the-field.

He had 22 starts, I think he was 14-8. He's a 64% guy.What I liked is he beat Alabama at Alabama. That tapewas good. He beat LSU. I think he beat LSU. But in2015, the tape against LSU was really good. He canpush the ball down the field. He's got a big arm. Hecan push it down the field.

My one on-the-field criticism, and he's a tough guy, myone on-the-field criticism would be like a lot of big-armed quarterbacks, he likes to wait and see the routecome open rather than have the anticipation and touchto put it out early.

But I think that's something that the big-arm guys learnlater. So will he be a fit in Buffalo? I'm sure he would.You've got to figure the kid out. I've never met him. AllI know is there is a bunch of stuff for him off the field.

So you better figure the kid out. Have an infrastructurein place, starting with the head coach, the coordinator,the quarterback coach, and the quarterback room. Youbetter have an infrastructure in place that's going to


take care of this kid and make sure he makes the rightdecision.

Q. When the 31st pick rolls around, who is on thetop of your board for the Falcons in order to bolstertheir front four?MIKE MAYOCK: Their front four? I would make a slightargument that I would be looking at that offensive linebecause you've got two guards that are aging andeligible free agency, for free agency over the next yearand next year. So I would put guard in that equation aswell, and I would put a guy like Forrest Lamp fromWestern Kentucky, would fit what Atlanta does to a T.And if they could go that way and get Forrest Lamp, Iwould love that.

But as far as the defensive line and up front, at that 31,a guy like Caleb Brantley could team with GradyJarrett.

I think on the edge side as far as outside is concerned,I think you'd be looking at potentially a SolomonThomas or Taco Charlton. So I think their names rightthere, all of whom would fit into what Atlanta doesscheme-wise, and knowing Thomas and Scott, they'relooking for tough guys with a motor. They're also quickand explosive.

Q. The Falcons had seven starters in the past twodraft classes. Out of all seven of those guys,between the Vic Beasley class, and the Keanu Nealclass, which of those players have surprised youthe most?MIKE MAYOCK: You know, that's a good question. Ithink Keanu Neal's contribution to the team this yearwas not just as a really good football player, but atough guy that set a tone, and I thought that wasoutstanding. I also thought that De'Vondre Campbellfrom Minnesota, who is a fourth- or fifth-round pick,surprised a lot of people. I was even looking at him asa potential edge rusher because he's so long. But he'sfast and he's tough. And with Deion Jones, thedefensive makeover that the Falcons have had in thelast two years has been amazing. I think I said earlierin the call, it has to do with the fact that they wantedtough guys that could run, and that's what they got.

Q. Mike, I wanted to ask about the non-DeShoneKizer Notre Dame guys, specifically Jarron Jones,Isaac Rochell, Tarean Folston, and JamesOnwualu, what are your thoughts on those guys?MIKE MAYOCK: It's an interesting conversation withJones and Rochell. If Jones played every week like hedid against Miami, he'd be in a completely differentconversation than the reality he faces now. You know,he was dominant against Miami. He showed lengthand power and quickness and everything. He

dominated that game, but you don't see theconsistency of his effort and production, which is goingto hurt them.

So then people look at Isaac Rochell, and they don'tsee quite as much talent, but they see a guy thatcomes to work every day, he's banging and working,and not as long, he's 6'3", 280.

So I think Rochell's going to be a base 4-3 end. Heprobably goes on the third day, fourth or fifth round. Ithink Jones is looked at more as a 3-4 defensive end,which is called a five technique. And I think his talentwarrants him going higher. But he probably doesn't goto the third, fourth, fifth round either.

And then Onwualu, I really like Onwualu. He doesn'thave as much talent as maybe you want, but you wantto talk about a hard-working, tough kid. Assignmentsound, knows what he's doing. Onwualu is going to belate draftable or a free agent, but he's going to play forspecial teams and he's not going to make any mistakesmentally.

Then Tarean Folston is kind of interesting to me. Idon't think he's going to get drafted. But when he firstgot to Notre Dame, I thought he had natural runability.I thought he had a good feel for the run game. In hisworkouts, he's got to run well and catch the footballeven better.

Q. It's a big group of potential first-roundcornerbacks here. How do you stack up thoseplayers? Who has the best chance to help himselfthis weekend?MIKE MAYOCK: Yeah, interesting question. Thecorners, I keep saying, are so deep. It's going to bekind of pick your flavor based on what's important inyour scheme. I think Lattimore's going to be gone inthe Top 10 from Ohio State. Sidney Jones to me iskind of lean, but I think he's instinctive like MarcusPeters, and I think he's a top 15 pick all day long.

The guys that I think can help himself or hurt himself isTeez Tabor from Florida. He's a good instinct and feelfor the game, but he's better with (indiscernible) in thequarterback. A lot of people worry about whether ornot he's going to run well. So what Teez Tabor runsthis week I think is really important.

And I think some guys that can help, like Adoree'Jackson I've mentioned several times from USC, he'sgot the ability to be a Pro-Bowl corner, but that's downthe road, but he's got the ability day one to be adifference maker in your return game.

So Adoree' Jackson comes with a caveat because hecan help in a couple different areas. You can go three


or four rounds deep and find potential starters, you canfind nickels. We've talked about the safety group alsoand who needs to run well and why. But if Melifonwuruns 4.5 or better, as I said earlier, a lot of teams canlook at him at corner also. And potentially in the firstround.

Q. I wanted to get your thoughts on the twodefensive ends and where they might go, DawuaneSmoot and Carroll Phillips. The line, they werekind of bad against the run this year. Do you thinkthat might hurt their stock? Do you think workingunder Lovie Smith might help it? And are therecharacter concerns about Phillips? I heard theremight have been.MIKE MAYOCK: Smoot is a little bigger and had moreconsistent production over a longer period of time. Ithought he struggled a little bit against Jon Heck fromNorth Carolina, and I thought the kid from WesternMichigan, Moton, handled it also. That made menervous. He came to the Senior Bowl and had a goodweek. He's got natural pass-rush ability but has to bebetter against the run.

I think Phillips can't be a 4-3 defensive end. I think he'sgot to be a 3-4 outside linebacker. He's not big enoughor strong enough to stand up in the run game. But he'sgot rare, physical gifts. A lot of his sack productioncame at a running chase. He's going to struggle at thepoint of attack. He's a one-year wonder, which peopleworry about. I'm not sure about issues off the field.

But at the end of the day, they're both going to getdrafted. I think Smoot probably goes third, fourthround, somewhere near that. I think Phillips is going tobe a 3-4 outside linebacker or a 4-3 will. And he'sprobably a fourth or fifth round guy also.

Q. Mike, I'm sure you talked about Adoree' Jacksonand I know you just did a little more about him.Talk about how he could contribute, maybe in allthree phases. I wonder if there are reservationsabout taking a small corner up high. And lastly,just sort of the history of skill position players outof USC, it seems like some people fall in love withthese skill position guys and they don't really panout in the pros or it's been hit and miss. Is it acase-by-case basis, or does the school get labeledfor that kind of issue?MIKE MAYOCK: Yeah, you know, it's interesting. Aschool can get labeled. I don't think USC has beenlabeled, and I saw something recently, the same thingyou're talking about with all the skill position playerswith USC, but where schools kind of get labeled, andI'm not going to mention schools, but where they getlabeled a little bit is whether it's a soft, quote, softprogram or not. What kind of kids are coming out of

there. Is it a country club? Can we coach them hard?Are they coming every day to practice? Those kind ofthings sometimes make reputations for schools.

I don't think USCs in that classification. When I look atAdoree' Jackson, I'm intrigued by this kid. I'll give youa couple examples in one game. Against theUniversity of Washington, he had two interceptions,and both of those interceptions were in the zone. And Iwas really surprised he was able to make asophisticated read with the minimal amount he's playedat corner. But he made sophisticated read where thenumber three receiver was breaking out. He had toread through one and two to get to three, and I'm notgoing to get any deeper into it. But, really surprisedthat he had the ability to make sophisticated reads andgo on coverage. Then he got two interceptions out ofit.

Now, can that same game -- he had to cover JohnRoss man-to-man and press a couple of times. One ofthem, John Ross, he just went 70 yards on atouchdown. He kind of broke his ankles at the line ofscrimmage. I mean, John Ross is so quick and fast,and he got him back on his heels, and he never couldrecover. So he's got a long way to go. But I wasimpressed. The press-man stuff he's going to learn.And I know he's a smaller physical corner, but whetherhe's a nickel or on the outside, I'm all in on the kid. Iknow he's going to be a very good player.

And what's beautiful about it is day one he's your puntreturner, he's your kick returner and you expect he canput the ball in the end zone for you while he learns hiscraft as a corner.

I think the last part, I struggle to see a team using himon offense also, just because he's got so much he's gotto learn as a rookie. He's got to learn defense. He'sgot to learn special teams. I'm not sure unless youhave a specialty player, too, for him, I'm not sure he'sgoing to do much on offense.

Q. You've emphasized the depth at the cornerbackposition, which is obviously for a team like theSaints hoping to improve their pass defense. Whoare some of the cornerbacks beyond the first roundthat you believe are ready to be first-year impactstarters, taking into consideration the jump fromcollege to the NFL?MIKE MAYOCK: Yeah, I mean, let's face it, NewOrleans needs a defensive draft year regardless ofposition and because corner is deep, it makes sense tolook at it down the road a little bit, second, third, fourthrounds.

I mentioned Witherspoon, who is the long corner from


Colorado who I think you can get in the third or fourthround. He's really already got a good feel for presscoverage. Press man-to-man. I like him a lot.

There is a kid from Houston, last name is Wilson. Boy,is he interesting. Howard Wilson. He can press. Heplays off. He's got a similar skillset of the kid that wentin the first round last year to Cincinnati. Who was that?Will Jackson, I think. William Jackson. So, I thinkWilson's probably a third-round corner. Another guy Ireally like. Fabian Moreau from UCLA. He's going torun sub 4.5. He's long. Another second or third-roundguy.

You could get into the fourth fifth round in NateHairston from Temple. Aarion Penton, who probablywon't go until the fifth or sixth round, and wasn't eveninvited to the combine, and I think he's going tocompete with somebody to start at nickel.

So there is all kinds of depth to this corner draft. Thereare probably eight to ten corners that are 6'2" or taller,also, so it's really intriguing from that perspective. Butfor a team like New Orleans, I think they can sit there at-- where were they? No. 11, I think. Just try to pick thebest defensive player on the board at 11, and they cancome back and get a corner later.

Q. Looking at the Broncos at No. 20, you touchedon the lack of offensive linemen in this draft, ofcourse, but do they look offensive line or do theygo in another position where their value might bebetter at that spot?MIKE MAYOCK: I think it depends. I think RyanRamczyk is the best tackle in the draft. To tell youwhere this draft is for tackles, the two top guys,Ramczyk and Garett Bolles from Utah are both one-year starters in major college football. Which is kind ofamazing. If Ramczyk was in last year's draft, he wouldbe the fourth or fifth guy taken. So just to give yousome perspective there.

So I think Ramczyk and Bolles are going to get pushedup a little bit, just because there is a drop off afterthem. So I'm not sure either of them are going to beavailable at No. 20. But I could easily see Denverbeing involved in the free agency side of the offensivetackle need.

There is a lot of depth in the interior offensive line ifthey wanted to go in that direction. But trying to get astarting tackle in this draft is going to be difficult. I startlooking down my list at tackle, and after you get past it,and by the way, I mean, this kid Bolles might be thereat 20, and he's a gifted kid, but he still needs to getstronger. He had a bunch of off-the-field stuff beforehe got to Utah. So you have to do your homework onthese tackles.

I've got Antonio Garcia from Troy as my number threetackle. In a normal year, he'd probably be a third-roundpick at best. He's a really gifted, athletic kid. But thisyear he's going to be bumped up into the secondround, and who knows from there.

So the tackle thing is really hard this year. And if theydon't go tackle, the second part of the question, whereis value at No. 20? I think they're looking at insidelinebacker, but Reuben Foster is probably gone. Thefive technique. I think they can get a five techniquefurther and further down in the draft. I think widereceiver makes a little bit of sense there. I think theycould use some depth behind those first two guys.

So I think they're going to get into a situation wherethey're going to have to find the best football playerthey can at No. 20.

Q. You mentioned Peppers a little bit. He's workingout as a linebacker here, but you mentioned thesafety area. Why do you think he's working out asa linebacker? Is that the reason for that?MIKE MAYOCK: At the combine, you mean?

Q. Yeah, yeah.A. Yeah, I think the reason is that was his collegeposition, basically. He played linebacker atMichigan last year. And I think that teams aregoing to look at them different ways, and a lot ofteams play that dime linebacker now that DeoneBucannon and McDonald and all those guys playin. He fits that role also.

But when I look at him, I remember when he firstcame out of high school, and there was a kid thatwas playing free safety, nickel. He was all over theplace. His size at 210 or whatever, 205, 210, I thinkhe's going to have to be more of a safety and lessof a linebacker.

Q. What do you think teams want to see this weekfrom him?MIKE MAYOCK: I think they want to see two things. Ithink, number one, he's going to run fast. He's got atrack background, and I think he can shed the skin ofthe linebacker and go run in the 4.3s. Even if he ran4.45, whatever. Run, sub 4.5, run fast. And then Ithink we get into the drills, you just want to show thatyou've got a defensive back skillset, open your hips,drive. He hasn't driven to a deep outside or deepmiddle or deep half because he's been playinglinebacker. So I think the more he can do to showpeople he could be a starting safety day one, and adime linebacker and all those other things, the kid isalways around the football, but where he can help


himself is, A, run fast and show some hip flexibilitydriving to deep outside, deep middle.

Q. In light of what you just said about the tackles,do you think it's becoming more difficult for theseguys because they're coming from spread offensesin college? I know you had Conklin last year thatcomes in and starts right away. But do you thinkit's more difficult for these guys to step in and havethat immediate impact like a guy like Ryan Clady orJoe Thomas did coming out of school a decadeago?MIKE MAYOCK: Yeah, I do. And I think that's a goodquestion because we spend way too much time talkingabout how difficult the conversion is for quarterbacksand not enough time talking about other positions, andone of them is tackle. And we've had a bunch oftackles that have either been buffed or have struggledto play until about the third year at a certain level.

Greg Robinson came out of Auburn, and he's as gifteda tackle as you could find, but he was never in a three-point stance in his life. So you start looking at thesetackles that are always in two-point stances, neverhave to get in the three-point, really don't play muchpoint (indiscernible) at all, pass game is different, theball is out quickly, you're not doing multiple passprotections.

So I think two things happen to these guys. They'renot used to the physicality of the NFL game in a three-point stance, and they're not used to how complex thepass protections are, and I think it slows them all down.And I think the guy that you mentioned, what's his facefrom Michigan State? Conklin, and Decker came in,they're coming for more conventional offenses. I thinkthey've got a better chance of playing day one.

Q. I'm curious how many players could be draftedat No. 2 and say, yeah, they're worthy of thatselection. Just in terms of how top heavy the draftis, I know you have Allen and Foster, but who elseyou think are worthy of that pick?MIKE MAYOCK: Of the second overall pick?

Q. Yep.MIKE MAYOCK: Yeah, I mean, basically probably aboutfive guys. I think if you put them with the best footballplayers in this draft, you're talking about the defensiveend Myles Garrett. You're talking about the defensivetackle, Jonathan Allen. I think you're talking about thetwo safeties, Adams and Hooker. And if you're talkingabout just pure football play in full, you're talking aboutReuben Foster. I think those five guys are all legit.And if you want to start talking about running backsand whether they should go that high, you can makethat conversation also, I think, with Barnett or with

Dalvin Cook.

Q. The two receivers, would that be a reach therewith Davis and Williams?MIKE MAYOCK: I think it's a bit of a reach. I think thevalue starts around 10 or so. But I wouldn't quite putthem up with that other group.

Q. Hey, Mike, despite ending the season 9-4, andthey finished ranked 20th, the University of Miamihas nine players heading to the combine. My firstquestion, what does that say about the depth oftalent there?MIKE MAYOCK: I think what it says is that over theyears, and I'm always amazed when I'm doing myhomework for the combine, I'm always fascinated whenI'm sitting there going through each page of 330 kidsand their background how many come from Florida ingeneral and Miami in particular.

So the Miami-area kids, we talk about it all the time, butit's true, there are a lot of great football players thatcome out of that area. Obviously, Miami, Florida State,and Florida do a great job of mining that talent andkeeping it in-state.

And as an aside, I think it's going to get morecompetitive with Kiffin and Butch Davis in town. So Ifind it fascinating, and I think it's a reflection of thehome-grown talent.

Q. I heard you talk about Kaaya a little bit andDobbs. But I was wondering if you could talk moreabout Kaaya and Njoku and where you think theystand and why. And the other thing would be, Iwas wondering if there is anybody else you thinkwill be drafted? There is Stacy Coley, let's say,cornerback, Corn Elder, there are two safeties,Jamal Carter and Rayshawn Jenkins. Anythoughts on any of those guys?MIKE MAYOCK: Okay, as far as Kaaya is concerned,here are my thoughts on him. I think he's a talentedkid. He's got the prototypical size. He makes three tofive throws per game that are awesome. That you sitback and go, Yep, that's it. That's it. That's NFL.

Then you watch the pocket mechanics break down,and I think he starts to panic a little bit when he sees aflash of color from the other team. He starts to hurryhis throws and ends up with poor locations and poordecisions.

When he has clear vision and clean feet, he's reallygood. But it's the pocket mechanics. I think it's goingto take him a little bit of time. Njoku is a freaky kid thatlooks like a wide receiver, and you can't believe thathe's actually as big as he is. Catches the ball well, can


get vertical, and what I like is if you watch enough ofhis tape, he gets after some people in the run game.He's not really a good run-blocker yet. But the key ishe gets after it. And as long as you get after it and youhave a willingness to do it, you can be taught.

So I'm bullish on Njoku. I'm surprised Coley didn't goto the East-West game. He declined the invitation. Ithought he had a chance to shine there. He's got skillsas a returner and a receiver. He'll probably go in thefourth round, fifth round, somewhere in there. I thinkCorn Elder and Rayshawn Jenkins, I think it's importantfor Jenkins to run fast. He's a bigger safety that bringssome thought. If he can run well, I think it will reallyhelp him.

Isidora is a solid guard, third day he'll get drafted. CornElder beats people up. Tough kid. I hope he runs fast,because I think he can be a core special teams playeralso. I'm running out of Miami players in my head.

Q. Safety Jamal Carter?MIKE MAYOCK: Another tough guy. Big. Who was it?East-West game. He's a little bit tight hipped. There isanother Miami kid who I loved. He's not a combineguy. Another defensive back who is just tougher thannails. Really fast.

Q. You're talking about Adrian Colbert?MIKE MAYOCK: Yeah, I think he's going to be a specialteams demon.

Q. Really? You think he'll be drafted?MIKE MAYOCK: I don't know if he'll be drafted. Buthe'll be in camp and because of his height, weight,speed, he'll end up having an opportunity to make ateam.

Q. And there is one guy, I don't know punters, youknow, how often they have a very good punter whois going to the combine named Justin Vogel.MIKE MAYOCK: Yeah, we've got to move on here, andI don't do punters. I don't evaluate those guys. I letspecial teams tell me the week before the draft. Thankyou.

Q. You talked about Malik McDowell earlier, and adeep draft, but do you see any other playersavailable with the 24th pick to the Raiders?MIKE MAYOCK: McDowell is an interesting guy. He's alate first-round guy, perhaps. I think when you'relooking at Oakland, when you're that late in the roundanyway, I think you've got to take a step back and get areally good football player. What comes to mind for meis what about a running back. Who is going to beavailable at 24 are they going to let what is his face goto free agency? Who is going to help them? Is

Christian McCaffrey on the clock at that point? Whocould help the Oakland Raiders at No. 24?

I think the running back situation is interesting. I'm notsure there are going to be any tackles at that point. Ithink they also have to look at linebackers and at 24, Ithink there are some interesting guys off the linelinebackers also, whether it's Reddick, Cunningham,Jarrad Davis. I think they're interesting players also.

Q. The Jaguars have a ton of needs this off-season,obviously. But running back, safety, and edgerusher seemed to be the three biggest. Obviouslythey're sitting at four, and you've talked about thesafeties and running backs.(Audio interruption.)

MIKE MAYOCK: So here's what it is. He wants to hit ahome run every snap. He's not patient in the pocketand he wants space. He doesn't like to be confined inthe pocket. But I feel like I think he's got an innate feelfor the game. He throws with timing and anticipation,which a lot of quarterbacks, most quarterbacks comingout of college football don't. He's got a quick release.He's got quick feet. He can throw from every freakin'platform there is. Side arm, overarm. He's a creatoron offense.

Now, what happens is that's all positive stuff, and that'swhy I like him so much. What happens is theconsistency of his mechanics break down as he tries tothrow home runs every snap, and he'll throw off hisback foot one snap, and it's 50 yards down the fieldand you go: Wow, what a great play. The next snapwill do the same thing and throw an interception.

The second thing is just awareness of situationalfootball. He's got to have a better idea of when he cantake chances and when he can't. I saw him makesome throws in the fourth quarter down a touchdown inthe red zone that made no sense at all to me.

So, I think he's big. He's 6'3", 230, with a big arm,athletic kid, great feel. He's a gunslinger, and it allcomes down to how comfortable you are that you canget him on the right side of that thin line, thatgunslinger line. You can get his mechanics where theyneed to be. You can get his decision-making where itneeds to be, and he's still making big plays.

Q. You talk about none of these quarterbacks beingready to start day one, and is any one of themcloser than the other guys?MIKE MAYOCK: They're all kind of differentconversations. I think a lot of it depends on what theinfrastructure is and what they're being asked to dooffensively with their new team. I don't know how to


answer that without any context of where they go.

Q. You've talked about Jabrill or a little aboutJabrill. Are you at all part of this group that's notsure where he fits at the next level, and they'vedropped them in some of these mock drafts. Areyou part of that contingent and where is your takeon where he fits?MIKE MAYOCK: The biggest compliment I can give himis he's a football player. That sounds stupid, but he is.I don't think you can put a label on Jabrill Peppers. Hewas asked to do a bunch of different things atMichigan, and he did them at a high level.

I think what's going to happen at the combine is you'regoing to see this explosive athlete running around. Ithink once coaches get involved, along with thepersonnel guys, then the coaches, the key with the guylike him is defining how you want to use him when youdraft him. If you're going to put a first-round grade onJabrill Peppers, there has to be a marriage betweenthe personnel side and the coaching side as to howyou're going to develop this young player. How doeshe get the biggest impact for you?

And I think he can do it in several ways. The kid was apunt returner. He's been a deep safety. He's been abox safety. He's been a linebacker. Each team's goingto look at him differently. At the end of the day, to me,he's a first-round draft pick, but you better have a planfor how you're going to use him.

Q. You talked about how you want or think theseteams should kind of keep swinging at thequarterback position. What is your view on doingthat in the middle rounds? We've seen the RussellWilsons and Dak Prescotts. But it's still a prettytough hit rate there. Do you think teams shouldstill go for those guys in the middleweight rounds?And which of those middle round quarterbackskind of stand out to you?MIKE MAYOCK: Yeah, I think if you were on one at thebeginning of the conference call when I talked aboutthe quarterbacks, really the only starters in the leaguein the last ten years that weren't first-round picks wereeither second, third, or one fourth-rounder in Cousins.So you had Carr, Garoppolo, Dalton in the secondround, Russell Wilson in the third, and Cousins in thefourth, over the last ten years.

So basically what that tells you is I do believe you takeshots, but you pretty much probably take them in thesecond, third or fourth round. Where that comes from,as far as this particular draft, any of those top four guysthat I've been talking about all day. Because you'veheard me say I don't have a Top 10 grade on any ofthem. Kizer, Watson, Trubisky, Mahomes, any of them

could slide into the second round. I'd love to have oneof those kids in the second round. Take my time,develop them for different reasons, they're not ready.Davis Webb in the third round. I'd be really happy withWebb in the third round. I think there are four guys thathave potential at some point. We've talked about ChadKelly and what he is. Off-the-field character, plusmedical. He's got, at worst, second-round talent.

Brad Kaaya and Josh Dobbs, both of them have a lot oftalent. They've got size, talent, arm talent, athleticability. They're just not ready. What are they, thirdround, fourth round, I don't know. I'd love to try todevelop either of them.

And the other guy that is a little like Kirk Cousins isNate Peterman from Pitt. And I've had a lot of peopletell me that is who he is. He's similar, focused,dedicated. Don't have a big arm, but has enough armthat he throws with anticipation and timing. He's thekind of guy that might be a lower-level starter. I justgave him nine names there of guys. Only 12 getdrafted on average at the quarterback position. So,yeah, I think you'd take a shot almost every year withone of these guys.

Q. You were talking about the tight end talent inthis year's class. Given the need to kind of bolsterthat group, do you see them taking one at No. 20 inthis year's draft? Is there someone you thinkwould be a good fit for them?MIKE MAYOCK: I think the beauty of the tight end classthis year is it doesn't have to be at 20. It can be in thesecond or third round or maybe in the fourth round. Orwhat kind of tight end you're looking for at the end ofthe day. When you look at what the Broncos have had,whether it's Virgil Green or Heuerman or whomever,you probably are looking for one of those dynamicreceiving types. And, again, that helps a youngquarterback. Whoever is starting for Denver, a goodpass receiving tight end is who is a match-upnightmare can really help.

So at 20, we've talked a bunch about Howard andNjoku who are distinctly different kind of players, bothof whom are worthy of the 20th pick for differentreasons. Both of whom I think would fit in Denver. Butif they didn't go with either of those guys, I think in thesecond, third, fourth round, you could be looking at anEvan Engram or Gerald Everett, both of whomprobably go in the second or third, and they're reallygood pass-catching tight ends.

I think Jordan Leggett is a different conversation. He'sabout 6'5" from Clemson. He's, again, a move guy.He's out wide. Bucky Hodges, Virginia Tech. Shoot,there is a kid named Adam Shaheen, a small schoolkid that's 277 pounds and catches the ball really well.


So my point is I'm not trying to throw a bunch of namesat you, but it doesn't have to be the first round. I thinkDenver can find a really good, viable option in thesecond, third or fourth. And you really need that withthe young quarterbacks.


monday, february 27, 2017 mike mayock - …€¦ · · 2017-02-27john schneider did, ... i think...

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